Hoven medical complex closing

Hospital, clinic, assisted living to shut down

October 07, 2010|BY EMILY ARTHUR-RICHARDT, earthur@aberdeennews.com

Holy Infant Hospital, Holy Infant Hospital Assisted Living and Hoven Medical Clinic are closing later this month. As of Oct. 18, the emergency room will suspend operations. And as of Oct. 31, all operations will end, according to a public notice in Tuesday's American News. The last rural hospital in South Dakota to close was in Belle Fourche in 1996, said Dave Hewett of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations. A few other hospitals, including Select Speciality in Sioux Falls and the Southern Hills General Hospital in Hot Springs, closed but later reopened, he said. Statewide, there are 60 hospitals, including Hoven. It's always a sad day for a community when they lose their community hospital, Hewett said. It's years of tradition, and it's part of the glue that keeps the community together. The Hoven facility has 22 acute-care hospital rooms and three additional rooms used for assisted living, according to a 2009 story in the American News. Catholic nuns founded the hospital in 1943. Now, it's a member-owned corporation whose members must live in the area it serves. Sandy Schlechter, the administrator of Holy Infant Hospital, was not available Wednesday, a hospital staffer said. According to the public notice, the Holy Infant Hospital and Hoven Medical Center board of directors voted for the closure. Hoven has long fought to keep its hospital running, but because it's not designated as a critical-access hospital, the federal government does not consider it necessary for the hospital to remain open. Hoven is about 25 miles from hospitals in Bowdle and Gettysburg and about 45 miles from the hospital in Faulkton. The Faulkton Area Medical Center will provide clinical service in Hoven three days per week. Jay Jahnig, the Faulkton administrator, did not return a phone call on Wednesday from the American News. The Hoven hospital and clinic have about 50 employees, including one full-time physician and 18 registered nurses - five of whom are full-time. The staff also includes one licensed practical nurse and seven certified nursing assistants.